Time Magazine labeled The Second City "a temple of satire." Indeed, the Chicago based improvisational and sketch comedy troupe has always thrived by defining itself in opposition to societal and entertainment norms. Before one can deconstruct the company's form, therefore, it is necessary to determine exactly what these norms were. What was the state of America, Chicago, and comedy in the 1950's that made the ground ripe for The Second City's revolution? An artist cannot abstract from nothing, however. This comedy approach was certainly novel, but the intellectual insurgents who dreamed of this political cabaret borrowed from several entertainment forms and exercises, some nearly five centuries old.

The first convention of the original Second City players took place at the University of Chicago in the late 1940's and early 1950's. The University of Chicago was as intellectually impressive as any institution in the nation. For nearly thirty years, the faculty included the nation's leading scholars in many burgeoning fields, such as sociology and anthropology. The influence of this scholarly atmosphere would have a profound effect on The Second City's content and brand of humor. With this mindset, however, came setbacks to those interested in the arts. Chicago designed its College Plan to shield undergraduates from what it felt was the dangers of specialization. As such, U. Chicago did not have a theater department, at least not one affiliated with the academic framework of the institution. In fact, the school still does not offer theater courses.

Soon, however, a small group of burgeoning intellectuals, some of whom were not even students at Chicago, began an esoteric, challenging performance troupe known as University Theatre. Starting with a production of Cocteau's The Typewriter, directed by Paul Sills in January 1952, UT began bringing new and experimental dramatic works to the Chicago stage. The group lasted only one short season, closing with a highly successful production of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle-the Chicago premiere and only the second production anywhere-but the seeds of artistic insurrection had been firmly planted. These youth were clearly tired of the status quo.

Soon, a young man with a vision arrived in the Windy City. His name was David Shepherd, a well-educated (B.A. in English from Harvard and M.A. in history of theater from Columbia) political reactionary, and he came to Chicago pursuing the ideal of a truly popular theater. Shepherd soon met the members of University Theater and shared with Sills his vision of a political cabaret theater like those of Eastern Europe. Shepherd believed the theater had alienated its most important members, the audience. Fascinated with the Italian Renaissance form of the commedia dell'arte, he wanted the performance to be ever dynamic, reflecting the day to day struggles of the people.

So, on June 23, 1953, Shepherd, Sills, and Eugene Troobnick opened Playwright's Theatre Club, dedicated to breathing new life into the American theater. An instant hit with the critics, the 125 seat Playwright's house staged nearly 30 productions during the next two years. The company was tireless, rehearsing all day long, performing at night, and usually hanging out to discuss philosophy, literature, or film (usually foreign) late into the night. Playwright Theatre Club was very successful on stage, but it is what took place off stage that truly set the stage for international comedic fame.

Whenever possible, during the two years Playwright's Theatre Club was in existence, the members of the company would work on the improvisational exercises (games) of Viola Spolin, Paul Sills' mother. These sessions encouraged spontaneity and immediacy. The players generated the entire narrative on the spot. In these sessions with Sills and Spolin, the members of Playwright's realized the potential inherent in the art of improvisation.

In July of 1955, they opened The Compass Tavern on 55th St, appropriately named by Shepherd because he wanted it always to point in whatever direction the society was headed. The shows at the Compass included a good deal of improvisation based on audience suggestion, including "The Living Newspaper," a twenty minute to half hour improv and reenactment based on that day's paper. This new flexible arena of performance guaranteed a show that was as unpredictable as life was in Hyde Park in the 1950's. Paul Sills knew they had discovered gold; all they needed to do was polish it a bit.